Performers wanted! Be part of the Liverpool City Region's public art project this summer!

THE search is on for:- dancers, park our performers, gymnasts, and street performers, from across the Liverpool City Region, as giant animated artworks, made entirely of sustainable bamboo, are set to come to life in this year's Cultural Events programme.

The large-scale art project:- 'Imagine Bamboo is Everywhere' is delivered by outdoor arts company Imagineer with artistic director Orit Azaz.

It will see communities from across the City Region building 6 interlinked artworks in each of our 6 Local Authority areas, culminating with spectacular events filled with bamboo structures, performances and workshops at outdoor events in August.

Local groups and individuals are now invited to be part of the events with free taster workshop sessions taking place where they can play, imagine and incorporate bamboo and bamboo structures into a performance.

They will take place on both:-  9  June and 10 June 2023. So far the venue and time are still to be announced.

Councillor Mike Wharton, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Tourism and The Visitor Economy for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said:- "What I love about this project is that it's not just about the culture, creativity and talent that goes into a project of this magnitude. It is also helping us consider the environmental aspect and how that will affect us all in the long term. Exploring sustainable materials like bamboo is absolutely key in sourcing alternative materials; especially when it's done in such a creative way. It will be an amazing sight to see when the engineers, designers, communities and performers get together and the installations begin to take shape."

Stronger and cheaper than steel, bamboo has a long tradition of being used as a structural material for:- scaffolding, bridges, housing, and buildings in areas of:- Asia, Africa and South America, with environmentalists now encouraging Western countries to adopt the practice in a bid to help the planet.

Residents, young climate leaders and artists are set to come together with engineers from Atelier 1 and bamboo specialists from 4 continents to explore bamboo as a sustainable material for the future. People can also now register their interest in taking part in the bamboo making and building activities in their area.

Artistic Director Orit Azaz said:- "I'd like to encourage any artists whether they are:- circus performers, gymnasts, dancers, breakers, martial artists or other physical performers to come along and take part in a free taster workshop to find out how they can join us in the fantastic spectacle of outdoor architecture across the Liverpool City Region this summer. I hope it will go some way to help people understand how versatile and sustainable bamboo is as a material and how we can think differently about the materials we choose to use for design and building."

Jane Hytch from Imagineer said:- "We are excited to be collaborating once again with Artistic Director Orit Azaz especially with the wide range of amazing engineers, entrepreneurs and designers from across the UK, and internationally, coming together to explore the potential of bamboo. We are so excited by the potential to collaborate with people from across the world to exchange skills and ideas and create beautiful strong lightw8 structures at a variety of scales right here in the Liverpool City Region."

'Imagine Bamboo is Everywhere' is part of the LCR Cultural Events programme which brought the Lost Castles and Constellations projects that were held in the City Region in 2018 and 2019 followed by the bamboo Bridge project in Liverpool in 2021. It is part of Mayor Steve Rotheram's 1% for Culture programme, which earmarks £300,000 per year - 1% of the CA's core funding; to activities designed to promote culture and creativity.

The installations build on the work that took place in 2022, where 14 artists led pilot projects with communities across the City Region including Taking Root, which saw 24 baby Borinda bamboo plants taken home and raised by their 'parents' before being planted in Court Hey Park in Knowsley, to become a future sustainable building material for the planet.

To find out more information on Imagine Bamboo is Everywhere go to:- Imagine-Bamboo.Co.UK, or to get involved in the workshop or register your interest in being part of the bamboo building and making contact Claire Bigley on:- ImagineBambooLCR@Gmail.Com.

Place for Singers, Writers, Artists the Kept Animals Bill, Volunteers at Prescot Festival

WITH the Prescot Festival less than a month away, organisers are eager to get even more local talent involved in the town's annual celebration of arts and music.

Sopranos, altos, tenors and basses of all experience levels are invited to join the Prescot Festival Chorus for a:- 'Come and Sing' performance of Vivaldi's Gloria, on Saturday, 17 June 2023. Regularly exceeding 100 singers, the chorus this year includes members of the world renowned Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Choir, who will go on to sing a Coronation themed programme for the 2nd ½ of the concert.

Entry to the 2023 Short Story Competition is still open. Unpublished writers living in any of the Liverpool City Region's 6 boroughs are asked to pen up to 1,000 words inspired by a quote from Arthur O'Shaughnessy's poem Ode, which turns 150 this year:- 'We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.' The deadline is:- Friday, 2 June 2023, and a £100 prize is on offer for the best story.

There's also a chance for those of an artistic bent to exhibit their creations in the Prescot Festival Art Display. The virtual showcase will host works in all mediums from entrants of all ages and abilities.

As ever, there are opportunities to help behind the scenes, too. 'Friends of the Festival' are always needed to prepare venues; including:- Prescot's stunning, Grade 1 listed Parish Church; welcome visitors and ensure that the 10 day programme of arts, music, culture and entertainment flows as smoothly as possible.

Visit:- PrescotFestival.Co.UK for details of all opportunities, as well as the full programme of events, which this year includes brass ensemble Leyland Band, musical theatre company BOST, swing sensations the Phil Shotton Big Band and other special guests.

The 19th Annual Prescot Festival of Music and the Arts runs from:- Friday, 16 June, to Sunday, 25 June 2023, within the historic Town of Prescot, Merseyside.